MWD Panel Urges Easing of Conservation

As state water officials Monday announced a significant increase in water availability, a Metropolitan Water District committee proposed rolling back conservation restrictions in its six-county region by nearly half.

The MWD action, if adopted today, will probably set off a chain reaction in which hundreds of smaller agencies that purchase water from the MWD will further ease restrictions or abandon their conservation rules.

In Los Angeles, where residents are required to cut water use by 15%, Mayor Tom Bradley today is expected to call on the Department of Water and Power to end the mandatory conservation program. Instead, he is expected to propose that voluntary cutbacks of 10% be imposed.

The MWD proposal followed the state Department of Water Resources’ announcement that because of recent heavy rains it will nearly double the amount of water it will deliver this year. The state agency Monday approved increasing deliveries to members of the State Water Project to 35% of water requested, up from 20%.

The MWD staff proposal will reduce from 31% to 17% the conservation restriction it has imposed on water it sells wholesale to 27 agencies. The plan was overwhelmingly endorsed Monday by a key committee of the agency’s board, and is expected to be approved by the full board at a meeting this morning, officials said.

The directors are also scheduled to consider imposing a 21% rate hike. Officials acknowledge that a rate increase is difficult to sell when consumers are being asked to cut back.

“There’s no question we’ve had a lot of pressure from member agencies and others to somehow indicate that all this rain has some meaning,” said Jay Malinowski, assistant chief of MWD operations.

Despite ample rains in some places, the drought appears to be entering its sixth year. Although officials are poised to ease rationing, they stopped short of declaring an end to the drought. “The (major reservoirs) are just half full,” said Duane Georgeson, MWD assistant general manager. “When the reservoirs are full, that’s when the drought is over.”

An MWD rollback of conservation measures will have an immediate impact on 17 million residents in 300 communities from Ventura County to Mexico and inland to Riverside that are within the MWD’s service territory. More than 200 communities, including Los Angeles, adopted some mandatory conservation rules in the past two years, MWD officials said.

If the MWD proposal is adopted today, the DWP staff will ask its board Thursday to ease restrictions, said Gerry Gewe, DWP chief of water resources planning.

MWD committee members needed little coaxing to endorse the proposal, approving it after less than five minutes of debate. The quick decision prompted committee Chairman Charles Barker to say: “Thank you all very much for an amazingly brief session.”

Assistant General Manager Georgeson said later: “It’s hard to say we’re in a drought when standing in rain up to your neck.”

Despite political pressures, MWD officials insisted that the proposal was driven by the rain and snowfall figures.

Precipitation in the Sierra Nevada, the source of most water used in Southern California, is exceeding 70% of normal in most areas and in some watersheds approaches 85%. The amount of water stored in reservoirs also increased, partly because of the rains and partly because of conservation efforts.

Figures released Monday by the California Cooperative Snow Survey show that statewide precipitation is about 85% of normal this year, compared with 35% of normal at this date a year ago.

State Department of Water Resources figures show that runoff from winter storms in the Sierra Nevada is at 40% of normal, but that is a vast improvement over last year’s 15%.

Reservoir storage is at 65% of normal, compared with 50% a year ago.

Heavy February rains that brought annual precipitation to more than 100% of normal in many Southern California counties led Santa Barbara to call an end to the drought last week as its reservoirs were brimming.

In the MWD’s service area, the rains helped to cut water purchases by more than half in January and February as homeowners did not have to water their landscaping or top off their pools.

But most water consumed in Southern California is imported through aqueducts from Northern California and the Colorado River.

And while more water will be available, 1992 is still shaping up as the sixth consecutive year of drought conditions, said Larry Gage, chief of schedules and analyses with the state Department of Water Resources.

“Even with (average) runoff in April, it would be a critically dry year,” said Gage.

In Los Angeles, Gewe said that even if rationing is ended, the DWP will maintain a voluntary conservation program.

Since the mandatory conservation plan was imposed a year ago, city residents have cut water use by nearly twice the required amount. Gewe said he believes that the conservation ethic will not vanish when requirements are lowered.

“We would expect people to continue using water wisely,” he said.